Mail-bag deliverer and catcher.



0. J. SEYMOUR. MAIL BAG DELIVERER AND OATOHER. APPLICATION FILED APR.27.1909.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

onn'nmn J, sa -noun; on-unw ronx, 11.1.

I MAIL-BAG same Ivan AND oA'rcnERa application fl1 6d.-Apli127 To I allwhom ttmwy concern: I

Be it known that I, OBADIAH J. SEYMOUR, a subject of-the King of GreatBritain, residing at 'New York, in the county of New York and State ofNew York, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Mail-BagDeliverers and Catchers, of which the followingis aspecificatiomIThepres'ent invention relates to mail bag deliverers ordroppers andcatchers and has for its object -to..provide a construction which, withsafety. and without danger of injuryto the mail bags, -will1 allow thede- -livery.Lof-same from and the catching or receiving thereof by afast moving car or train..

Y -Ap'pl-icant is aware that there are some .x'patents relatingto'devices for the same purarm 3 is partl ,ofsquare cross section, as atFigure lshows a, perspective view of the device as attached to the trainand of a part on thetrack servin for the o eration of the deliveringpart of t device; ig..-2 is a per:

spective view of the same and of a stationary m'a I -bag supportarranged 'alongth track in-nn'e withthe mail bag catcher,-an Fig.,:-3is. ;a front view partly in cross section illustrating the operation ofthe device 1 designates the side .wall. of a "mail car and 2, Zara armssecured to theside'post of the door; case ,1 in which arms ispivotallyand adjustably supported abraced arm .3 reachingoutwardly'iro'm the car and capable of being swung inward. The free endof the '4. upon whic part a downwardly projecting hook 5 formingthe mailbag catcher is' mounted,- When thearm. 3 is projected outward this hookextends substantially parallel to the car It has at'its mouth portionspring tongues or. straps fi, 6 projecting vertically toward one anotherto .normally close the mouth hooky Specification Letters Tatent.

portion. and to serve as re-- tainers for the mail bag whencaught by theI l j'ection'engaging the notch 13 Patented Aug. 24,- I909.

, 1909. 'SeriaINo. 492,466.

Beyond the square portion of the end ocf the arm 3 the latter .-is,cylindrical-lyslraped,

vice. This :device consists of a hub 8 rotatively mounted on the end'7..' Rigidly secured to-orintegual with this hub is an arm 9, to therear or lower end of which asecond inner surface of the arm 1-0 is aleafor platespring 11 which projects toward. and is adapted toconstantlyrest against thea'rm 9, so'as to hold the arms-apart orstretched fromone another. .The lower or rear end of the arm has a nose or rojection12 which slidably bears in a radial ore of the hub and 13 provided inthe cylindrical end of the arm 3, and to thereby lock the hub in itsposltion. When the arm 10 is swung against the projection 12 is causedto disengage fromthe notch 13, whereupon the hub belng released isallowed to freely .turnupon its axleuntilfstopped by the engagementofthe projection "-12 into a secondnotch-13 7-. 'At a suitable.pointofethe'huh-fingers or bolts '14, 15 are provided-that are suitablysecured in the hub and which in normal position, of the hub projectupward in a slant actual supports for the mail bags before. delivery IThe operation of the device is as follows At a certain point of thetrack Where the dereceptacle 16 of the shape shown or the like arm 17which extends into-thepath of the arm 10. Assuming that a mail bag 18 issusended from one of the fingers projecting Fig:- 1, it will be seen,that as soon as the arm 10 strikes against the, stationary cross arm 17the latter will cause it, .during the ,con-- tinued .movement of thetrain, to swing'to- Ward the arm 9, in consequence of which the r0 2ndunlock the hub. Owing to the weightof the mail bag the hub willinstantaneously ,swing'around in the direction indicated in -Fig. 3, sothat the fingers will be tilted forthe rece tacle 16. The hub willbecome again loo ed in its tilted position by the proarm 10 is hinged(at 10). Attached to the is adapted to normally engage into a notch(livery ofthe mail from the cars is required, a,

is stationarily arranged, and connected with it or separately arrangedis a stationary cross ward and permit the bag to drop down into .as at7, to-bear the dropping part of the dethe tension of its spring towardthear-m 9.,

in end ing direction. -These fingers serve as the rom the hub, asindicated by dotted lines in ection 12 will be raised from the notch 13p of the arm 3- until it is readjusted by hand into the initial ornormal position. The mail catcher, on the other hand, will operate asfollows From a suitable support or frame 20 the mail bag is supported bymeans of a loop 19which either is permanently secured to the bag or maybe conveniently clam ed thereto. This loop rests loosely upon t e framewhich is arranged in the path of the hook 5 so that at the instant whenthe hook will, during the rapid movement of the train, meet the loop,the latter will be caught by the hook and snap through the springtongues, by which it will be retained on the hook until released by handafter the arm 3 is swung into the car.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a mail bagdropper and catcher, the combination with a car or train and mail bags,of a swinging arm suspended from said car or train, a sleeve orhubrotatively mountthe track, of a swinging arm adjustably suspended fromthe car or train, a sleeve or hub rotatively mounted on said arm,fingers projecting therefrom, a spring actuated arm fulcrumed in saidhub, and means attached to said spring arm to lock the hub on theswinging arm, said spring arm being operated by the stationary arm onthe track, while the car or train is in motion.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OBADIAl-l J. SEYMOUR. Vi itn'esses:

\"VILLIAM G. BUTTERLY, Mo'ams BAUMANN.

